The purpose of the Calgary Canoe Club's (CCC) Respectful Communication Agreement (RCA) is to ensure a safe and positive environment for all participants in our programs taking place at the Club, as well as activities and events away from the Club. All individuals must know that the Club has behaviour expectations that align with our core values; Inclusion, collaboration, integrity, achievement, and excellence.

The CCC is committed to creating an environment where all individuals are treated with respect, feel safe and are free from maltreatment, bullying and harassment.

All registered participants of our competitive programs must sign the RCA as part of their registration package. Participants under 18 must have their parents' signatures in addition to the participants. Any individual communicating with the coaches or manager on behalf of the participant must complete the RCA before doing so. Please read through the following document. If you have any questions, direct them to the Club Manager.

The coaching team encourages parents to contact them directly to provide both positive feedback and discuss areas of concern. If a problem or complaint occurs, the RCA offers guidelines on how and when to communicate with the coaches and, where required, sets boundaries to facilitate a more effective resolution.

The CCC has a Grievance Process for issues not resolved through communication with coaches. This process will be communicated to the individuals when required and is found on the website; About Us/Policies: Safe_Sport_Policy_CCC2021.pdf (shopify.com)

Guidance for respectful communication:
 

1. Start with direct communication - Discuss the matter with the head coach or a senior coach. Contact the coach by email to set an appointment to meet in person. Solutions may also be reached with a short phone conversation rather than an in-person meeting with the coach.

2. For issues that involve a junior coach (under 18), the head coach or manager must be contacted. Bring concerns involving Junior coaches directly to the head coach or club manager. Do not contact the Junior coach directly.

3. Coaches can talk in person or via the phone within reasonable hours (9:00 am to 7:00 pm on working days). Please consider that the coach might be at the club and not on duty. Please do not contact coaches during their personal time and respect their wishes if they are busy and ask you to set up a time to talk later.

4. Immediately before and following training sessions, coaches are focused on the athletes. Please do not approach coaches during this period. Post-workout discussions in person are reasonable if the coach is available.

5. Respect the coach's workspace: Do not interrupt during a workout; wait until the coach is free from the athletes to discuss any concerns you may have.

6.  When you feel that expressing a concern is warranted, you shall communicate it in a fully respectful manner, through the proper channels (ie; on the phone or in person), and at an appropriate time (see hours above in #3).

7.  Coaches will not tolerate conversation in which the person speaking to them raises their voice or is disrespectful.  The coach will terminate any communication that is insulting, intimidating, humiliating, hurtful, malicious, degrading or otherwise offensive. If the coach terminates the communication, a Club representative will follow up with you.

8.  Coaches are not perfect and make mistakes like the rest of us; we are all here to learn and grow. Opportunities to improve must be approached in a positive manner that will benefit all of us. Coaches also abide by respectful communication behavior which is covered in their contracts.

Consequences of disrespectful communication:

 

1.  In the event of a conversation or email communication being terminated by a coach because they feel is it disrespectful (#7 above), a member of the Board will reach out to the individual to set a meeting.

2.  The individual will lose their rights to communicate directly with a coach.

3.  If an individual (participant and/or parent of participant) does not respect the Code of Conduct, even after repeated requests by club representatives, the program participant may have their membership and program status revoked, and be banned from any further communication with coaches and staff.

 

By signing the Respectful Communication Agreement:
 

1.  I understand that the coaches have the best intentions and are in many cases, themselves developing and learning in the CCC environment. I understand that I too am responsible for contributing to a positive, safe and respectful environment. Therefore, in the event of concern or my dissatisfaction with the coach(es) or any part of the program, I will take time to speak with the coach or club manager about my concerns at an agreed-upon time and place.

2.  If upset with a coach or process, I will wait 24 hours before communicating with the coach. For example, if an event occurred at a 4:30pm practice that you would like to address with the coach, please wait until at least 4:30pm on the following day before phoning, emailing, or speaking to the coach in person about your concerns. This provides a cooling off period for all parties involved.

Note: If you feel a serious offense has occurred that jeopardizes safety and needs immediate attention, please contact the Club Manager to report the situation.

3.  I understand that if an issue is not resolved after speaking with the senior coach, I may escalate it via the CCC Grievance Process involving CCC Board members.

4.  I will be a positive role model by treating paddlers, parents, coaches, staff members, volunteers and officials with respect, regardless of race, gender, creed or skill level.